FAQs

Section Contents:

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Who is paying for or sponsoring the study?
The study is funded primarily by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion.

Who is in charge of the study?
The Principal Investigator is Dr. Peter Selby, a physician and researcher at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Dr. Selby is also a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.

How is my information going to be used?
The information you provide will be used to assess the effectiveness of providing free smoking cessation medication and other resources. This information will be reported as group data only – that is, no single individual’s data will be presented or reported on.

Who is going to be contacting me after I finish the study?
An online survey will be email to you by the STOP Study team at various time points during and after the study (4, 8 and 12 weeks into the study and then again at 6 months after you have completed the study. You may be also contacted at 12 months after completing the study). Otherwise, you may be contacted by phone by a member of the STOP Study team to complete these follow-up surveys.

What if I don’t want to answer the survey questions?
You may choose not to answer some of the survey questions. However, some questions are mandatory in order to determine your eligibility to participate in the study and to ensure we are able to contact you for follow up. You will be prompted to answer only mandatory questions if you happen to miss one when completing the survey. All information collected in the survey is strictly confidential and will be stored in a secure, password-protected database. Only the STOP Study staff will be able to access your data.

What if I start smoking again after I finish the study or I don’t manage to quit at all? Do I still have to complete the surveys?
YES. We are interested in everyone who signed up to participate in the study, even if you don’t complete the full course of the treatment or start smoking again.

Who will have access to the information I provide? For how long?
The STOP Study staff will have access to your files that contain the information that you provide. However, your file will only be identified by your participant number and your initials. It will not contain any information that could identify you.

What does “do I consent to being contacted for future studies” mean?
If you check this box, your name and phone number will be added to a database of people interested in participating in research. You may or may not be contacted for future studies. If you are contacted, you may refuse to participate in the study being offered. Please remember that this is not to consent to being contacted for follow-up surveys as part of the STOP study.

What if I wish to withdraw from the study?
Your participation in the study is completely voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time.